5 ms·

> Used car with front wheel drive, preferably traction control, put Blizzaks on all four wheels and you’ll do OK in snow unless you insist on driving on unplow

> Used car with front wheel drive, preferably traction control, put Blizzaks on all four wheels and you’ll do OK in snow unless you insist on driving on unplowed roads. There's more to cars in snowy climate than driving. OP clearly wants AWD, why tell him he doesn't really want it? As someone who's lived North most of their life, AWD is clearly a big advantage both for driving and for getting unstuck. Have you never been snowed in by a snow plow and have to spend an hour trying to get out of a snow bank because your stupid front wheels won't grip? And then they finally grip but you drive a bit too far and you get over another snow bank and the front wheels are now lifted, losing all chances of getting out without spending another hour digging? So in the end you arrive to work 2 hours late and with wet clothes from all the sweat and snow that got in while you fell repeatedly pushing your car?

nostrademons 3y ago
Grew up in New England, on what passes for a major highway in those parts (i.e. still a 2-lane road with stop signs and unprotected turns, but a numbered route so it would get plowed regularly). We'd get plowed in 2-3 times per year. The way we dealt with it was that I'd wake up early with my dad and break out the snowblower and shovels, and we'd shovel the car & driveway before taking the car out. Driving straight over a snowbank strikes me as an exceptionally bad idea for multiple reasons, the most mild of them being having to push for an hour to get unstuck. The least mild would be successfully driving over the snowbank, then skidding out as you hit black ice on the other side, spinning into opposing traffic that didn't see you coming and also can't stop in time, getting hit, and dying. The sibling comment that says "Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of" is right. It always seemed like the stuck & crashed vehicles on the side of the roads were 4WD and AWD - because their owners had a sense of invincibility that they felt exempted them from the need to take extra time and drive slowly and carefully in the snow.
- potta_coffee 3y ago
  It snows heavily but infrequently here. I love 4wd for when I have to get somewhere on unplowed roads. I'm a very cautious driver. It's also nice for to / from the ski lifts in sketchy weather.
water9 3y ago
No I haven’t but it sounds like you should carry kitty litter in your car.
rpmisms 3y ago
During the part of my life when I lived in an intensely snowy climate, I never had a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and never had any issues. Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of.
- WeAddValue 3y ago
  Yup, same here. I delivered pizzas in northern Ontario for 3 years while in school. During snowstorms it seemed quite a few people would decide to stay home ... and order a pizza. I carried about a dozen+ bricks with me that I would jam under the wheels of my front wheel drive whenever I got stuck, often several times per storm. Fun times fondly remembered.
  - rpmisms 3y ago
    I'm glad snow tires and traction control have gotten so much better.
  - itishappy 3y ago
    I used to crash my FWD Sienna into snowdrifts next to stuck vehicles, dig them free, then wobble my way out. Fond memories indeed! That being said, I would not trade my AWD Mazda 3. I've had to rock it once so far this season the morning after I plunged it into an unplowed slot during the last lake effect storm. AWD isn't a necessity, but it sure feels like a cheat-code. No bricks, no kitty litter. I haven't had to exit my vehicle in the last years I've been driving it around upstate NY.
- potta_coffee 3y ago
  I drove a 2wd pickup for years in a mountain town and I did ok. But now I have 4wd and it's great. It's not necessarily a crutch, but it can become one if one isn't smart about how they drive.
- PaulHoule 3y ago
  I’ve had all kinds of problems in the snow but I’m a New Yorker so I cope. I dig other people out more often than get stuck myself. The AWD vehicle has a more complex drivetrain, will be more expensive to maintain and probably get worse gas mileage. Friends of mine swear by Subaru but I think they are crazy. If I wanted AWD I think I’d look for a small SUV like a Ford Escape.

nostrademons 3y ago

Grew up in New England, on what passes for a major highway in those parts (i.e. still a 2-lane road with stop signs and unprotected turns, but a numbered route so it would get plowed regularly). We'd get plowed in 2-3 times per year. The way we dealt with it was that I'd wake up early with my dad and break out the snowblower and shovels, and we'd shovel the car & driveway before taking the car out. Driving straight over a snowbank strikes me as an exceptionally bad idea for multiple reasons, the most mild of them being having to push for an hour to get unstuck. The least mild would be successfully driving over the snowbank, then skidding out as you hit black ice on the other side, spinning into opposing traffic that didn't see you coming and also can't stop in time, getting hit, and dying. The sibling comment that says "Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of" is right. It always seemed like the stuck & crashed vehicles on the side of the roads were 4WD and AWD - because their owners had a sense of invincibility that they felt exempted them from the need to take extra time and drive slowly and carefully in the snow.

potta_coffee 3y ago
It snows heavily but infrequently here. I love 4wd for when I have to get somewhere on unplowed roads. I'm a very cautious driver. It's also nice for to / from the ski lifts in sketchy weather.

water9 3y ago

No I haven’t but it sounds like you should carry kitty litter in your car.

rpmisms 3y ago

During the part of my life when I lived in an intensely snowy climate, I never had a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and never had any issues. Four-wheel drive is a crutch to get you into situations your brakes can't get you out of.

WeAddValue 3y ago
Yup, same here. I delivered pizzas in northern Ontario for 3 years while in school. During snowstorms it seemed quite a few people would decide to stay home ... and order a pizza. I carried about a dozen+ bricks with me that I would jam under the wheels of my front wheel drive whenever I got stuck, often several times per storm. Fun times fondly remembered.
- rpmisms 3y ago
  I'm glad snow tires and traction control have gotten so much better.
- itishappy 3y ago
  I used to crash my FWD Sienna into snowdrifts next to stuck vehicles, dig them free, then wobble my way out. Fond memories indeed! That being said, I would not trade my AWD Mazda 3. I've had to rock it once so far this season the morning after I plunged it into an unplowed slot during the last lake effect storm. AWD isn't a necessity, but it sure feels like a cheat-code. No bricks, no kitty litter. I haven't had to exit my vehicle in the last years I've been driving it around upstate NY.
potta_coffee 3y ago
I drove a 2wd pickup for years in a mountain town and I did ok. But now I have 4wd and it's great. It's not necessarily a crutch, but it can become one if one isn't smart about how they drive.
PaulHoule 3y ago
I’ve had all kinds of problems in the snow but I’m a New Yorker so I cope. I dig other people out more often than get stuck myself. The AWD vehicle has a more complex drivetrain, will be more expensive to maintain and probably get worse gas mileage. Friends of mine swear by Subaru but I think they are crazy. If I wanted AWD I think I’d look for a small SUV like a Ford Escape.